Life

George Vladimirou was born on March 27, 1966 in Limassol, Cyprus. He graduated as a “Leader” from the Anargyrios and Korgialenios School in Spetses at which he attended under a scholarship. He continued his education at the Aristotelian University of Thessalonica where he studied law. Beginning in 1989, he studied Business Management at the Thames Valley University of London. From London he returned to Greece and entered the University of Athens to study Theology.

George worked also as a teacher at the Greek School of the Virgin Mary in Camberwell Green during his four years in London. During the period of 1993 to 1997, after completing his education, he worked in the private sector in Athens and performed voluntary missionary work at centers in Madagascar and India.

In 1998, he entered the clergy as he was ordaineddeacon on June 30. Then, on July 5, 1998, he was ordained priest by His Eminence Nikitas of Hong Kong. With his ordination, Fr. George was named Dean of the Cathedral of St. Luke in Hong Kong, and shortly thereafter he was appointed Chancellor of the Hong Kong Archdiocese. During his time in Hong Kong, Fr. George began a local Orthodox magazine, “The Censer” and taught at the St Makrina Greek School of the Archdiocese. He also taught on the subject of Orthodox faith in the local Anglican and the Lutheran seminaries.

In 1999, Fr George transferred to the Church of Alexandria, where he became a member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches and of other groups in which he represented the Patriarch of Alexandria. On February 22, 2001, Fr. George was elected Bishop of Nilopolis by the Holy Synod of the Church of Alexandria. On March 4, 2001, the Sunday of Orthodoxy, he was consecrated by Patriarch Petros VII in the Church of the Annunciation in Alexandria, Egypt. At the same time he was appointed the Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria. On October 27, 2004, Bp. George was elected Metropolitan of Zimbabwe by the Holy Synod and enthroned on December 19, 2004.

In October 2010, a rearrangement of diocesan responsibilities was made within the patriarchate of Alexandria to accommodated additional duties for Abp. Seraphim (Kykkotis) of Johannesburg and Pretoria as a patriarchal representative. As part of the rearrangement, Abp. Seraphim was transferred to the smaller Archdiocese of Zimbabwe. Abp. George (Vladimirou) of Zimbabwe was transferred to lead the Archdiocese of Accra, replacing Abp. Damaskinos (Papandreou) who succeeded Abp. Seraphim as Archbishop of Johannesburg and Pretoria.